This invention relates to a process for the production of c5 g0">lubricating oils having a viscosity index of at least 120 and a pour point of at least -45°C by (a) oligomerizing a mixture of c5-C20 1-olefins comprising at least 2.6% w/w of 1-decene and at least 6% w/w of 1-hexene in the presence of a catalyst. The c5 g0">lubricating oil so formed may be hydrogenated in the presence of hydrogen to improve the oxidation stability thereof. The process is particularly suited to olefins feeds produced during a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in which carbon monoxide and hydrogen are passed over a heated catalyst.
|
1. A process for the production of c5 g0">lubricating oils having a viscosity index of at least 120 and a pour point of at least -45°C, said process comprising:
a. oligomerizing a mixture of c5-C20 1-olefins comprising at least 2.6% w/w of 1-decene and at least 6% w/w of 1-hexene in the presence of an oligomerization catalyst which comprises an alkylaluminum halide and tert-butyl chloride in which the relative mole ratio of tert-butyl chloride to alkylaluminium halide is in the range from 2.0:1 to 20:1 to form a c5 g0">lubricating oil. b. separating the c5 g0">lubricating oil from the oligomerization catalyst; c. optionally catalytically hydrogenating the c5 g0">lubricating oil in the presence of hydrogen to improve the oxidation stability thereof, and d. recovering the c5 g0">lubricating oil formed in (b) or (c) above.
2. A process according to
3. A process according to
4. A process according to
5. A process according to
6. A process according to
7. A process according to
|
This invention relates to a process for the production of lubricating oils from a mixed feedstock comprising 1-olefins having 5 to 20 carbon atoms.
It is well known to oligomerize 1-olefins to hydrocarbons of higher molecular weight and then to hydrogenate or isomerise the oligomer so formed to produce lubricating oils (See e.g.) U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,244. In most of these cases, the 1-olefins are derived initially from ethylene (by the so called "ethylene chain growth and displacement" method) which is a relatively expensive source for such 1-olefins. Moreover, lubricating oils have been produced by oligomerization of relatively pure 1-olefins (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,128 and EP-A-0 468 109). This last document also discloses that once the oligomers have been produced, the oligomers of various 1-olefins can be blended either before or after the hydrogenation or isomerization steps in order to produce the lubricating oils of the desired properties such as viscosity index and pour point. One of the problems with this technique of blending is that the final oligomer has a mixture/blend of discrete molecules e.g. a mixture of C20, C30 and C40 hydrocarbons and hence the blend lacks consistency of properties due the absence of a continuity and gradual blending of closely related/matched oligomers. It is also known to oligomerize the olefinic products from a Fischer Tropsch synthesis followed by hydrogenation or isomerization of the oligomer to form lubricating oils (see e.g. Monoolefins, Chemistry & Technology, by F. Asinger, pp 900 and 1089 (1968) and published by Pergamon Press). However, the publications relating to use of the Fischer Tropsch products as the source material for the oligomerization step do not indicate the product mix required to achieve the desired oligomer or the catalyst suitable for the oligomerization step.
It has now been found, for instance, that a specific mixture of 1-olefins which is commercially available from conventional Fischer Tropsch processes is a very desirable feed for the oligomerization step and the oligomers thus formed can be optionally hydrogenated to form lubricating oils.
Accordingly, the present invention is a process for the production of lubricating oils having a viscosity index of at least 120 and a pour point of at least -45°C, said process comprising
a) oligomerizing a mixture of C5-C20 1-olefins comprising at least 2.6% w/w of 1-decene and at least 6% w/w of 1-hexene in the presence of an oligomerization catalyst to form a lubricating oil,
b) separating the lubricating oil from the oligomerization catalyst,
c) optionally catalytically hydrogenating the lubricating oil in the presence of hydrogen to improve the oxidation stability thereof and
d) recovering the lubricating oil formed in (b) or (c) above.
The mixed 1-olefin feedstock suitably comprises olefins having 4-18 carbon atoms, preferably 5-12 carbon atoms. A particularly preferred example of such a feedstock is the olefin stream formed by the Fischer Tropsch synthesis.
Normally in a Fischer Tropsch synthesis (hereafter "FTS"), a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen is passed over or through a heated catalyst bed to form a wide variety of hydrocarbons. When the hydrogen content of the reactant mixture is high, the reaction products predominantly contain paraffinic hydrocarbons. However, if the proportion of hydrogen in the reaction mixture is low, the reaction products predominantly contain olefinic hydrocarbons.
It is, however, important that even in the case where the reaction products of the FTS are predominantly olefins, the reaction conditions of the FTS have to be controlled to obtain the desired mixture of 1-olefins. For instance, Gasol derived by FTS and described in "Mono-olefins Chemistry & Technology", by F. Asinger, page 1089 (1968), published by Pergamon Press, contains about 50% but-2-ene and is said to give poor lubricating materials on polymerization with aluminium chloride. Thus, any unspecified product mix of an unspecified FTS is unlikely to be suitable as feedstock for the process of the present invention. In fact, it is essential that if the products of an FTS are used as feedstock, the FTS is operated in such a manner that the olefin products of the synthesis contain at least 2.6% w/w of 1-decene, preferably at least 7% w/w, and at least 6% w/w of 1-hexene, preferably at least 13% w/w. Such a product mix can be obtained by the conventional FTS processes in which the conditions of operation should be so controlled that the product has a Schulz-Flory alpha value from 0.6-0.9, preferably from 0.7-0.8. The Schulz-Flory alpha value is a well recognised concept and is defined e.g. by P. J. Flory in "J Am Chem Soc", 58, 1877 (1950); and by G. V. Schulz in "Z Phys Chem ", B43, 25 (1935). This value can be defined by the following equation:
log[Wn/n]=nlogα+[(1-α)2 /α]
where Wn is the weight fraction, n is the carbon number and α the probability of chain growth.
In this context the choice of the oligomerization catalyst used is also important. Whilst any of the conventional cationic polymerization catalysts can be used, it is preferable that the catalyst used in a combination of an organo aluminum compound and an alkyl halide. Thus, the organo aluminum compound is suitably represented by the generic formula Rn AlX3-n, wherein R is a C1-C4 primary, secondary or tertiary alkyl group, preferably a primary or secondary alkyl group, more preferably an alkylaluminium halide (hereafter "AAH"); X is a halogen atom which may be chlorine, bromine or iodine, preferably chlorine; and n is an integer from 1 to 3, preferably 1 to 2. The alkyl halide component of the catalyst suitably has the formula R3 X wherein R and X have the same significance as above and is preferably a tertiary alkyl group e.g. tert-butyl chloride (hereafter "TBC"). The AAH is preferably ethyl aluminium dichloride (hereafter "EADC"). The relative mole ratios of TBC to AAH in the oligomerization catalyst is suitably in the range from 2.0:1 to 20:1, preferably from 2.5:1 to 15:1.
It is also important to control the ratio of the catalytic components to the 1-olefin in the feed. For instance, if the 1-olefin feed in the mixture comprises a blend of C6-C10 1-olefins, the mole ratios of olefin to TBC may suitably vary in the range from 15:1 to 80:1, preferably from 18:1 to 75:1; and the mole ratio of 1-olefin to AAH, may suitably vary in the range from 75:1 to 500:1, preferably from 85:1 to 470:1.
The precise concentration of the two catalytic components chosen would depend upon the specific property desired in the final lubricating oil such as e.g. the viscosity.
The oligomerization is suitably carried out at ambient temperature, e.g. temperatures from -30°C to 150°C, more preferably around 0°-20°C The reaction pressures can be ambient or elevated.
The oligomerization is suitably carried out in the presence of a solvent inert under the reaction conditions, preferably a paraffinic hydrocarbon e.g. n-hexane.
It is preferable to add initially to a solution of the 1-olefins feedstock in an inert solvent the required amount of TBC and to bring the temperature of this solution to the reaction temperature. Thereafter a solution of AAH, preferably in the same inert solvent, is added dropwise with continuous stirring to that of the 1-olefins and TBC over a period of time. After the addition of the EADC solution is completed and a further duration allowed to elapse, the reaction mixture can be neutralised e.g. by the addition of ammonia, then washed and filtered. The organic products can then be rendered free of the inert solvent by e.g. evaporation. The above steps can be, if desired, carried out in continuous operation.
The resultant residue is an oligomer. This oligomer is a lubricating oil with important and desirable properties but may contain a small proportion of olefinic groups.
An important aspect of this invention is that by choosing the appropriate feeds, oligomerization catalyst and oligomerization conditions, it is possible to ensure that the oligomer is very low in olefinic groups thereby substantially obviating the need for the subsequent optional hydrogenation step.
The hydrogenation step, when used, is suitably carried out to ensure that any olefinic groups in the oligomer are saturated. The effect of this is to improve the oxidation stability of the lubricating oil formed in step (b). The hydrogenation step in the present case can be carried out using any of the conventional hydrogenation catalysts such as e.g. Raney nickel or other Group VII or Group VIII metal according to the Periodic Table due to Mendeleef. This step is carried out in the presence of hydrogen. The reaction pressure for this step (including the hydrogen partial pressures) is suitably in the range from 20 to 1000 KPa, preferably from 350 to 750 KPa. The hydrogenation is suitably carried out at a temperature in the range from 0° to 350°C
The hydrogenated product is separated from the catalyst and any by-products by well known techniques e.g. by distillation.
The hydrogenated products of the present invention are excellent lubricants and can be used as such or for blending with other additives in a lubricating oil. The products of the present process can have pour points of up to -65°C and viscosity index values above 155, e.g. 160.
In view of the synthetic source of these oils they are biodegradable and hence are environmentally more friendly.
The present invention is further illustrated with reference to the following Examples:
A mixture of 1-hexene (31 g), 1-heptene (27 g), 1-octene (24 g), 1-nonene (20 g) and 1-decene (17 g) was blended with n-hexane (217 g) in a reservoir (total mass of 1-olefins 119 g). Tertiary-butyl chloride (TBC, 6 g) was added to this blend and the applied temperature set at 20° C.
Ethyl aluminium dichloride (EADC, 13 ml of a 1.0 molar solution) in "hexane" (ex Aldrich Chemicals) was then added to the 1-olefin/TBC blend dropwise with stirring over a period of 2 hours. 4 hours after the addition of EADC was commenced, the reaction was stopped by adding sufficient anhydrous ammonia gas to deactivate the catalyst. After ammonia addition, the reaction mixture was washed and filtered to separate a white solid precipitate predominantly comprising sluminium hydroxide. The resultant filtrate containing the organic product was placed in an evaporating tray and the hexane solvent was allowed to evaporate overnight.
The material that remained upon evaporation of hexane from the organic product (filtrate) was a lubricating oil (110 g) representing a yield of 92% w/w from the 1-olefins. This oil had a viscosity of 93.4 cSt at 40° C, a viscosity of 12.33 cSt at 100°C, a viscosity index of 124 and a pour point of -54°C
The following Table summarises the results of further experiments carried out according to the process described below using varying process conditions (as shown) in order to study the effect of such variations on the product:
Hexene-1 (205 g), octene-1 (158 g), decene-1 (116 g) and n-hexane (215 g) were mixed with tertiary butyl chloride (TBC) in amounts indicated and at the temperatures shown in the Table. A volume (as shown in the Table) of 1 molar ethylaluminium dichloride in hexanes (ex Aldrich) was added slowly to the above mixture with constant stirring. After the desired reaction time had elapsed, the reaction was terminated by the addition of anhydrous ammonia and the reaction mixture was then washed with water. A white solid product formed (which was probably aluminium hydroxide) was separated from the reaction mixture by filtration. The aqueous and hydrocarbon phases in the filtrate were separated and the hexane in the hydrocarbon phase allowed to evaporate overnight. The residue remaining after removal of hexane was a lubricating oil having the properties shown in Table 1 below
__________________________________________________________________________ |
EFFECT OF PROCESS CONDITIONS ON LUBRICANTS FORMED |
Pour |
Run Conditions |
Viscosity (cSt) at |
Point Yield |
AAH, |
TBC, |
Temp, |
Hr |
40°C |
100°C |
VI (°C.) |
(%) |
__________________________________________________________________________ |
25 ml, |
13 g, |
20°C, |
4 h |
78.1 10.77 |
125 |
-45 97 |
25 ml, |
13 g, |
0°C, |
2 h |
84.25 |
12.15 |
139 |
-57 98 |
25 ml, |
6 g, |
0°C, |
4 h |
60.59 |
10.32 |
160 |
-45 98 |
10 ml, |
13 g, |
20°C, |
2 h |
30.38 |
5.82 |
138 |
<-63 52 |
10 ml, |
6 g, |
20°C, |
4 h |
6.07 |
2.08 |
160 |
<-66 45 |
__________________________________________________________________________ |
A further set of experiments were performed in which the reaction mixture had a constant composition. Hexene-1 (240 g), Octene-1 (158 g), Decene-1 (113 g) and Heptane (213 g) were mixed in a reservoir.
The required amount of tertiary butyl chloride was added to the reservoir and temperature was set to the desired reaction temperature. The mixture was stirred vigorously. Ethyl aluminium dichloride (1.0 molar solution in hexanes) was added dropwise until a specific volume was added. During this addition an exotherm was observed. The rate of addition was controlled manually such that the exotherm was usually not allowed to exceed 10°C and never allowed to exceed 20°C
After the necessary reaction time the reaction was terminated by bubbling ammonia into the reaction mixture. Approximately 300 ml of distilled water was then added, the contents of the reservoir continued to be stirred vigorously. Reaction time is defined as the total time from when addition of ethyl aluminium dichloride commenced, to termination of the reaction by aqueous work-up.
During aqueous work-up, the reaction mixture separated into aqueous and organic phases. The organic phase was recovered and filtered through anhydrous magnesium sulphate. Subsequently the filtered organic phase was placed in an evaporating dish and the heptane was allowed to evaporate overnight. The resulting lubricant was analysed for viscosity at 40°C and 100°C, viscosity index and pour point. No distillation was performed at this stage. The data obtained is recorded in Table 2 below.
Sample Conditions referred to in Table 2 are listed in the order: Volume of 1.0 molar ethyl aluminium dichloride, mass of tertiary butyl chloride, temperature (°C.) and time (hours). Viscosities are quoted in centistokes. The pour point in each case was <-53°C
TABLE 2 |
__________________________________________________________________________ |
Viscosity cSt Yield |
Sample Conditions |
40°C |
100°C |
VI (%) |
__________________________________________________________________________ |
5 ml, |
26 g, |
0°C, |
3 h 3.3 1.29 -- 19 |
50 ml, |
26 g, |
30°C, |
3 h 44.35 |
7.07 119 97 |
5 ml, |
3 g, |
30°C, |
3 h 2.54 |
1.06 * 17 |
50 ml, |
3 g, |
30°C, |
6 h 55.6 |
8.49 127 80 |
50 ml, |
3 g, |
0°C, |
6 h 71.3 |
11.53 156 89 |
5 ml, |
26 g, |
0°C, |
3 h 1.68 |
0.85 * 27 |
50 ml, |
26 g, |
0°C, |
6 h 28.0 |
5.95 165 100 |
5 ml, |
3 g, |
0°C, |
6 h 12.45 |
3.4 158 39 |
15 ml, |
10 g, |
10°C, |
3.5 h |
56.6 |
9.66 156 93 |
5 ml, |
10 g, |
10°C, |
3.5 h |
3.54 |
1.42 * 33 |
15 ml, |
10 g, |
10° C., |
2 h 56.8 |
9.74 157 92 |
15 ml, |
26 g, |
10°C, |
3.5 h |
50.6 |
8.48 144 92 |
15 ml, |
10 g, |
30°C, |
3.5 h |
36.45 |
6.61 138 93 |
15 ml, |
10 g, |
0°C, |
3.5 h |
45.55 |
8.1 152** |
98 |
15 ml, |
10 g, |
10°C, |
6 h 83.1 |
11.34 126# |
84 |
__________________________________________________________________________ |
* Not measured, value offscale. |
** Pour point was <-63°C |
# - Pour point was -54°C |
Smith, Mark R., Atkins, Martin P.
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
10443008, | Jun 22 2017 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Marine lubricating oils and method of making and use thereof |
10738258, | Mar 24 2017 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Method for improving engine fuel efficiency and energy efficiency |
10808196, | Mar 28 2017 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Cold cranking simulator viscosity reducing base stocks and lubricating oil formulations containing the same |
10858610, | Mar 24 2017 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Cold cranking simulator viscosity boosting base stocks and lubricating oil formulations containing the same |
10876062, | Mar 24 2017 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Cold cranking simulator viscosity boosting base stocks and lubricating oil formulations containing the same |
11629308, | Feb 28 2019 | EXXONMOBIL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING COMPANY | Low viscosity gear oil compositions for electric and hybrid vehicles |
5631211, | Nov 01 1993 | NIDEC CORPORATION | Lubricating oil composition for use with sintered porous bearings |
5780699, | Jan 12 1994 | Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.-Petrobras | Synthetic basestocks and process for producing same |
6398946, | Dec 22 1999 | CHEVRON U S A INC | Process for making a lube base stock from a lower molecular weight feedstock |
6569909, | Oct 18 2001 | SASOL TECHNOLOGY PTY LTD | Inhibition of biological degradation in fischer-tropsch products |
6686511, | Dec 22 1999 | Chevron U.S.A. Inc. | Process for making a lube base stock from a lower molecular weight feedstock using at least two oligomerization zones |
6706936, | Dec 22 1999 | Chevron U.S.A. Inc. | Process for making a lube base stock from a lower molecular weight feedstock |
6800101, | Oct 18 2001 | SASOL TECHNOLOGY PTY LTD | Deactivatable biocides for hydrocarbonaceous products |
6841711, | Jan 11 2001 | Chevron U.S.A. Inc. | Process for making a lube base stock from a lower molecular weight feedstock in a catalytic distillation unit |
6924404, | Oct 18 2001 | SASOL TECHNOLOGY PTY LTD | Inhibition of biological degradation of Fischer-Tropsch products |
7989670, | Jul 19 2005 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Process to produce high viscosity fluids |
8071835, | Jul 19 2006 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc. | Process to produce polyolefins using metallocene catalysts |
8168838, | Jan 21 2009 | Shell Oil Company | Hydrocarbon compositions useful as lubricants |
8207390, | Jul 19 2005 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Process to produce low viscosity poly-alpha-olefins |
8247358, | Oct 03 2008 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | HVI-PAO bi-modal lubricant compositions |
8299007, | Jun 06 2006 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Base stock lubricant blends |
8394746, | Aug 22 2008 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Low sulfur and low metal additive formulations for high performance industrial oils |
8476205, | Oct 03 2008 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Chromium HVI-PAO bi-modal lubricant compositions |
8501675, | Mar 11 2008 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | High viscosity novel base stock lubricant viscosity blends |
8513478, | Aug 01 2007 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Process to produce polyalphaolefins |
8530712, | Dec 24 2009 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Process for producing novel synthetic basestocks |
8535514, | Jun 06 2006 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | High viscosity metallocene catalyst PAO novel base stock lubricant blends |
8586520, | Jun 30 2011 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Method of improving pour point of lubricating compositions containing polyalkylene glycol mono ethers |
8598103, | Feb 01 2010 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Method for improving the fuel efficiency of engine oil compositions for large low, medium and high speed engines by reducing the traction coefficient |
8642523, | Feb 01 2010 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Method for improving the fuel efficiency of engine oil compositions for large low and medium speed engines by reducing the traction coefficient |
8716201, | Oct 02 2009 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Alkylated naphtylene base stock lubricant formulations |
8728999, | Feb 01 2010 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Method for improving the fuel efficiency of engine oil compositions for large low and medium speed engines by reducing the traction coefficient |
8748361, | Jul 19 2005 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Polyalpha-olefin compositions and processes to produce the same |
8748362, | Feb 01 2010 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Method for improving the fuel efficiency of engine oil compositions for large low and medium speed gas engines by reducing the traction coefficient |
8759267, | Feb 01 2010 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Method for improving the fuel efficiency of engine oil compositions for large low and medium speed engines by reducing the traction coefficient |
8834705, | Jun 06 2006 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Gear oil compositions |
8865959, | Mar 18 2008 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Process for synthetic lubricant production |
8921290, | Jun 06 2006 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Gear oil compositions |
8921291, | Jul 19 2005 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Lubricants from mixed alpha-olefin feeds |
9150812, | Mar 22 2012 | ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Antioxidant combination and synthetic base oils containing the same |
9365663, | Mar 31 2008 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc. | Production of shear-stable high viscosity PAO |
9365788, | Oct 10 2011 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Process to produce improved poly alpha olefin compositions |
9399746, | Oct 10 2011 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Poly alpha olefin compositions |
9409834, | Jul 19 2005 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc. | Low viscosity poly-alpha-olefins |
9469704, | Jan 31 2008 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc. | Utilization of linear alpha olefins in the production of metallocene catalyzed poly-alpha olefins |
9593288, | Jul 19 2005 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Lubricants from mixed alpha-olefin feeds |
9701595, | Dec 24 2009 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc. | Process for producing novel synthetic basestocks |
9796645, | Jul 19 2005 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC; ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company | Poly alpha olefin compositions |
9815915, | Sep 03 2010 | ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.; ExxonMobil Chemical Patents INC | Production of liquid polyolefins |
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
4041098, | Jul 01 1975 | Uniroyal Chemical Company, Inc | Method for the oligomerization of alpha-olefins |
4376222, | Dec 19 1980 | Amoco Corporation | Chemical process |
4434309, | Jun 18 1982 | HUNTSMAN PETROCHEMCIAL CORPORATION | Oligomerization of predominantly low molecular weight olefins over boron trifluoride in the presence of a protonic promoter |
4613712, | Dec 31 1984 | Mobil Oil Corporation | Alpha-olefin polymers as lubricant viscosity properties improvers |
4626415, | Apr 16 1984 | Mobil Oil Corporation | Olefin upgrading system for extracted feed |
5157177, | May 01 1989 | Mobil Oil Corporation | VI enhancing compositions and newtonian lube blends |
5513156, | Jul 23 1993 | Fujitsu Limited | Library apparatus |
EP220775, | |||
EP318086, | |||
EP468109, | |||
EP139343, | |||
EP270001, | |||
EP377306, | |||
GB963970, | |||
WO9013620, |
Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Jul 07 1993 | ATKINS, MARTIN P | BP Chemicals Limited | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 006676 | /0681 | |
Jul 07 1993 | SMITH, MARK R | BP Chemicals Limited | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 006676 | /0681 | |
Jul 12 1993 | BP Chemicals Limited | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / |
Date | Maintenance Fee Events |
Aug 11 1998 | REM: Maintenance Fee Reminder Mailed. |
Jan 17 1999 | EXP: Patent Expired for Failure to Pay Maintenance Fees. |
Date | Maintenance Schedule |
Jan 17 1998 | 4 years fee payment window open |
Jul 17 1998 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Jan 17 1999 | patent expiry (for year 4) |
Jan 17 2001 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 4) |
Jan 17 2002 | 8 years fee payment window open |
Jul 17 2002 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Jan 17 2003 | patent expiry (for year 8) |
Jan 17 2005 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 8) |
Jan 17 2006 | 12 years fee payment window open |
Jul 17 2006 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Jan 17 2007 | patent expiry (for year 12) |
Jan 17 2009 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 12) |